South Florida trip

I can answer that question for some of those NE hops you are hoarding Seriously though, there really hasn't been much change in available Florida IPAs that go through distro since your last trip. We do get Green Flash now but not sure how old those will be when you get here. Jai Alai and Due South's Category 5 IPA, which I am a very big fan of, are probably the best Florida IPAs that see distro. There are some other really good IPAs that are on draft at the various breweries. This includes High Five IPA from Fort Myers Brewing which you'll be very close to once you are over on Sanibel. I'd grab some growlers of that if it's available. I'd love to hear if other locals have a favorite local IPA that sees distro.

 

Going to agree with @TheSamKuehn. Jai Alai and Cat 5 are my favorite readily available Florida IPA's. I also sometimes enjoy JDub's Up Top and Intuition I-10, though cans of I-10 sadly aren't dated. Point Ybel brewing (close to sanibel) is making some great stuff lately and they have crowlers too! I had a session IPA there last week made with lemon drop hops that was delicious!

 

@BKnarr, is Reef Donkey available down that way? I know it's not an IPA but it would be a good mix-it-up-just-a-bit option.

 

It's an awesome option, but unfortunately doesn't make it any further south than the Sarasota area as far as I know.

 

That's a shame but thanks for getting back to me!

So, @twizzard, I'm of no use to you but I hope you have safe travels and a great trip. Cheers!

 

I found Crank IPA from Cycle (my favorite FL IPA) on draft in Naples. Would expect it would make it further up the coast to Ft Myers/Sanibel too. Alpine IPAs are also available in FL and there's plenty of Founders, Bells, Ballast Point, Fatheads, etc

 

Near Sanibel, you should be able to find Old Soul Defector on tap at a few places, Fort Myers Brewing High 5, possibly the single hop series from Motorworks (yes, might be pale ales but the equinox was incredible). Point Ybell should have a solid presence on Sanibel and that presence probably includes a solid IPA. I would also look for Sweetwater and some leftovers of the Alpine distribution (should be pretty darn good still). Other than that, many of the better IPA's available in Florida are probably familiar to you. Not a lot comes from the West Coast and even then, a lot of Florida IPA's are old school East Coast style (yes, I made that up, but believe it is fitting). As previously, mentioned Green Flash is out there and I would try whatever you see from Big Storm, they make a wide variety of beers but some are very, interesting. If you can find it, Cigar City's Hopped on the High Seas is awesome, no idea if they ever made it again, but if they did, it is for real!

 

Due South's distribution footprint has been growing for some time so you might find it at your local Total Wine or ABC when you come down. If you still can't find it send me a BM with your address and I'll ship you some super fresh Cat 5 so you can try it.

 

Is Cat 5 a regular in their tap room? Looks like they have crowlers, which is awesome. @twizzard it's real close to Boca. And make sure to check out the Funky Buddha Lounge in Boca.

 

It is a regular in their taproom. They don't fill crowlers of it but do sell 4 packs of cans. I missed the part about @twizzard coming into Boca before he heads over to Ft. Myers/Sanibel. Due South is only 15 minutes or so north of Boca. If you are going to swing by Due South (which you should) I'd also recommend checking out Devour Brewing Co. and Copperpoint Brewing Co. which are very close to each other and all in the same city (Boynton Beach). Saltwater Brewery in Delray Beach and Barrel of Monks in Boca are also great spots nearby. And definitely check out the Funky Buddha Lounge & Brewery. It's their original location in Boca but they don't open til 5pm during the week.

 

It is a year round beer for us in general. We have it on tap and in cans all year, both in our taproom and in distribution. We have plenty of it here in the taproom but I do know that some stores do run out of cans from time to time. We had Oaked Cat 5 in cans until last week, it went fast. We still do have it on tap though.

@twizzard We also have the latest variety of our Dry Hopped Series in cans. It is a Pale Ale dry hopped with Equinox. This is taproom exclusive. It's my go to shift beer lately.

 

I know you can find a few Funky Buddha offerings in the Fort Myers area, but if you brought a growler or two of their brewery only offerings, you could easily trade with/share with some people in Fort Myers for some solid IPAs that are not on the shelves. Same for Due South.

 

For trading, I suggest loitering around World of Beer or stopping into Naples Beach Brewing and talking to Mike, I know he is always hoarding/talking about Funky Buddha and has some good stuff that he brewed or picked up at various places. Nick at Old Soul usually has a stash of Wicked Weed or other beers they traded for hiding in the brewery too, but I didnt tell you that...Or, I did... Yeah, go ahead and tell them I did, hes cool!

 

You didn't say exactly how long this trip is. Hmmm...knowing the situation I'd say your hauling a 5 day supply if you have two cases stashed knowing the rates which you consume when your on vacation. Im assuming those 2 cases are for you. Ah , I'd bring another just to be sure, can't get better than what you can get at home. Have a safe trip the beach sounds like a winner.

 

Sounds great. I'll be down there the week after Xmas, visiting you guys for sure.

 

I feel so much better about my drinking habits. Thank you.

 

So many breweries in and around Boca for me to visit. Due South is set in stone for me, as is the FB Lounge. What would the next two priorities be?